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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Wednesday Message


As one of the inaugural signatories to the Democracy Commitment (TDC), MCC has placed a priority over the past few years on projects and curricula aimed at engaging students in civic learning and democratic practice. The College has--among other activities--held forums on juror diversity and town halls on critical issues in our democracy, and created “democracy walls” that allowed our students, faculty and staff to share their visions and definitions of democracy. MCC’s TDC efforts have been led by Assistant Professor Verdis Robinson, working with a committed group of faculty and staff. This group includes Assistant Professor Bob Muhlnickel, and last fall, he stopped by my office with a question: would MCC be willing to host a Naturalization Ceremony? My immediate answer was yes.

So, because of his outreach, yesterday MCC was host to an extraordinary and inspiring event in which almost four dozen men and women became US citizens. Our mission is to educate and prepare diverse learners to achieve scholarly, professional, and individual success within a local and global context, and I can think of no better example of the combined power of democracy, diversity, and education than yesterday’s Naturalization Ceremony.

To be in the presence of so much belief in the promise and potential of the ideals that built this nation was an honor beyond words. The joy in that room could have warmed us through a thousand more days of this chilly winter. Reflecting on the ceremony, I returned again to the language of The Democracy Commitment Declaration and found this passage that speaks directly to why having the Naturalization Ceremony at MCC just seemed so right:

Community college students come from all walks of life and all social stations. Our students represent all ethnicities and religious communities. Our learners are all ages. Their ability to exercise their democratic rights and work together in public life, to be generous and tolerant and yet able to advocate for themselves, will help to determine the future of our communities.”

The new citizens who stood before Judge Frank P. Geraci and swore their oaths on Tuesday actively sought a role in building a better future for our community. That they made this public declaration at MCC says so very much about the role our College and all community colleges play in sustaining and furthering our democracy. Few ceremonies have as much meaning or as much promise, and I thank Bob Muhlnickel for making yesterday possible.

Did you attend yesterday’s ceremony? What would you share about it or about MCC’s engagement in the Democracy Commitment? Tell us on the Wednesday Message Blog!

(By the way, if you haven’t yet registered for the Western New York Democracy Commitment meeting, be sure to do so.)

Anne M. Kress
Office of the President
03/12/2014